Introduction After years of planning and preparation, the Department of Basic Education has introduced coding and robotics as a formal subject in the Foundation, Intermediate, and Senior Phase. Most universities do not offer formal and in-depth training to in-service and pre-service teachers to prepare for these developments. The limited opportunities for professional development in coding and robotics currently lack focus on enhancing the pedagogical content knowledge for teachers due to technocentric approaches that underlie such training, which can exacerbate technophobia amongst teachers (Petersen, 2020). The belief that only teachers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields need to be trained in coding and robotics also limits the number of teachers interested in coding and robotics training (García-Carrillo et al., 2021). To us, every teacher, regardless of their areas of specialisation, should be afforded opportunities to learn coding and robotics, not mainly for the purpose of teaching but for the development of competencies for the fastchanging world like creative thinking, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration (the 4Cs), computational thinking and digital fluency (Afari & Khine, 2017; Avello et al., 2020; Catlin, 2016; Scaradozzi et al., 2015). Furthermore, the training currently offered to teachers focuses mainly on preparing teachers to teach coding and robotics as subjects instead of adding another layer of developing teachers’ ability to use it as a teaching and learning resource in any subject. Resource constraints also present a major challenge in training teachers and pre-service teachers in coding and robotics. These challenges are also experienced by those involved in initial teacher education. The University of Johannesburg’s Department of Childhood Education (DCE) has taken proactive steps to teach pre-service teachers the competencies for a fast-changing world by introducing coding and robotics training sessions and a short learning program. These initiatives aim to develop pre- and in-service teachers’ capabilities to teach coding and robotics in schools and their use in teaching other subjects. This article will provide insight into our methods when conducting such training. Firstly, the program’s origins will be detailed, followed by an examination of how we address technologycentred concerns, and lastly, a focus on ensuring the inclusion of all teachers across disciplines beyond STEM. Background to the program Our journey began when Kenneth Baloyi presented on integrating coding and robotics in education at an online workshop and when Linford Molaodi started a coding club for pre-service teachers at the University of Johannesburg during the COVID-19 lockdown. Following his Master’s research, Kenneth Baloyi was invited to present at an online coding and robotics workshop. Reviewing the program, he soon noticed a gap. While all the presentations were intensely focused on coding and robotics technologies, there was a noticeable lack of emphasis on pedagogy. To address this, he titled his presentation “Demystifying Coding and Robotics.” He aimed to ensure educators could gain a concise yet comprehensive understanding of coding and robotics and, more importantly, how these could be integrated into teaching other school subjects. Around the same time, Linford Molaodi initiated an informal coding club for pre-service teachers which was later formalised in the initial-teacher programme at the University of Johannesburg Image 1: Final Year Online Students During the Face-to-Face Coding and Robotics Training in the FUJS Makerspace. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 72
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